Consumer-provided promotional code actuatable point-of-sale discounting system

摘要

A computer-implemented discounting system suitable for use in conjunction with a point-of-sale transaction device. The discounting system includes a memory subsystem for storing information related to at least one promotion and a software module coupled to the memory subsystem. The software module receives promotional codes entered by consumers and determines if the promotional codes relate to the promotions for which information is stored in the memory subsystem. If so, the software module transmits discount information for the promotions related to the entered promotional codes to the point-of-sale transaction device. For each promotion, a promotional code, a promotion period, a product code, a discount amount, a promotional code count and a maximum number of promotional codes are stored in the memory subsystem. The software module compares the received promotional codes with the promotional codes stored in the memory subsystem and, if the received promotional codes matches one of the stored promotional codes, was received during the promotion period and if the promotion code count, which is incremented each time a matching promotional code was received during the promotion period, does not exceed the maximum number of promotional codes, the product code and the discount amount are transmitted to the point-of-sale transactional device. There, the cost of the point-of-sale transaction is reduced by the discount amount if a product matching the transmitted product code has been purchased.